Months before Netflix debuted House of Cards in 2013, Kevin Spacey toured the globe in a production of Richard III as the play's namesake. The role, documented in the new film NOW: in the Wings on a World Stage, helped Spacey hone his ruthless television persona for the political series' manipulative antihero Frank Underwood.

"I know that many of you may think Ferris Bueller invented 'direct address,' but he didn’t — it was actually Shakespeare," Spacey said at NOW screening in New York City. In an separate interview with Mashable, he added that he drew inspiration from Richard III's soliloquies to mold Underwood's fourth-wall breakage.

"What it taught me in terms of what I now get to do in House of Cards is that people really dug it," he said. "It was like there was this naughty glee in their eyes; people really like being co-conspirators ... but the memory of those faces all around the world really has helped me understand how to play that direct address in House of Cards."

In a way, Spacey's self-distributed NOW shows us the beginnings of his portrayal of Frank Underwood, a character based on Francis Urquhart from Michael Dobbs' House of Cards book trilogy and the British TV version. Both of the fictional power-hungry men were partially inspired by King Richard III of England.

NOW gives glimpses of Richard III's Machiavellian rise to power, detailing the traveling play's onstage and offstage antics through candid scenes and interviews with cast members. Meanwhile, House of Cards' two seasons so far have enthralled viewers with Underwood's merciless sprint toward a political finish line — the presidency — while coping with the threat of his and his wife's downfall through dark humor.

Spacey noted both "have to depict how other human beings are going to respond to allow both of these characters to be about 16 chess moves ahead of every body else."

Kevin Spacey stars as Frank Underwood in House of Cards.

Image: Nathaniel Bell/Netflix

The similarities between both pieces of work extend beyond just the nature of power. Two actors in NOW also have parts in House of Cards: Nathan Darrow as Underwood's very close security guard Edward Meechum and Jeremy Bobb as journalist Nick Henslow.

"I tried to get nearly everybody in Richard III an audition for House of Cards," Spacey said. "It’s always a nice thing to work with people again that you know that you get along with."

Aside from bourbon, a vice of Underwood's is video games. Offscreen, coincidentally, Spacey has immersed himself in the gaming world as well — he'll be playing and voicing a villain in the upcoming Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. During our phone interview, Spacey stayed mum about Call of Duty but he said the trailer, below, should speak for itself.

Unsurprisingly, Spacey also remained tightlipped about the future of House of Cards, specifically in regard to season three: "I’m sworn to secrecy. I’m afraid I can’t say anything about it except to say I’m sure there’s going to be some words, there’s going to be some scenes and we’re going to film it. We’re having the time of our lives. It’s the best job ever."

What Spacey is certain of, though, is NOW will clear up confusion about why he loves theater so much and why he and director Sam Mendes joined forces offscreen for Richard III (they previously partnered on Oscar Best Picture winner American Beauty in 1999).

"Over the last decade, I've sort of gotten used to a whole bunch of people who look at me oddly that I’m such a theater rat," he said. "Sometimes people don’t really understand why theater means so much to me or they ask me, 'Don’t you get bored doing the same play every night?' ... I’ve made the film to be able to answer some of those questions."

Kevin Spacey performs during the rehearsal of Richard III at Epidaurus.

Image: Dimitri Messinis/Associated Press

Richard III was physically challenging for Spacey, not only because he and the cast performed the play 200 times across three continents, but also because of the king's hunchback posture. Spacey crouched forward wearing a hump for the entirety of the play as well as used a leg brace, a gloved wooden hand and cane. "It looked like it was almost painful," he said. "The last moment in the play where they hang me upside down was the most awesome moment. It was a great stretch after crumpling myself up all night."

Like an athlete building adrenaline before competition, Spacey would get into his hunchback stance offstage and wobble in anticipation as sweat dripped off his face between scenes of Richard III. NOW, which is available (discount code: Mashable) via distribution platform VHX, taps into behind-the-scenes moments like that to propel the film's intimate aura.

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